Two Truths and a Lie
by Kachowbarator
Summary: After the last season, Lightning hated the media. When a dirty rumor begins circling about Cruz, he is determined not to believe it. But Storm tells him there is a truth behind every lie. But what about when the lie targets you, and no one believes you’re innocent? Multi-chapter. Rated T for occasional language and dark themes later on.
1. chapter 1

**Hello ladies and gentle cars! It has begun. My first multi-chapter story about my favorite Pixar characters EVER. I'm glad everyone has been enjoying my two one shots, and I hope I don't disappoint with this installment! The story idea came to me after going through all the things I thought would happen during Cars 3, and my ideas on afterwards. Put them all together and came up with an interesting plot. I put the rating as T, because sometimes racers curse, sometimes relationships get steamy, and sometimes the themes get dark. I hope everyone enjoys the first chapter of Two Truths and a Lie. Subscribe to the story to get notifications when I post a new chapter! Now on with the story…**

The day began like any other. Lightning stretched out his front wheel axles as the little car on his bedside clock popped in and out to the rhythm of the alarm. He winced as he heard his right axle _pop!_ from the stress. It had been days since he last raced. Now was the time to take some laps and work his strength back up for the dirt race at Willy's Butte the next weekend. But first, he needed to run a training session for Cruz.

The garage door to cone number one rolled open. Normally Sally joined him, since it was king sized, but Lightning figured she must have pulled another all-nighter with the Wheel Well renovations. He sighed as he dialed Sally's number on the shiny new phone Cruz had insisted he install. "You may be old, but you gotta be up to date!" she had said.

The bolt, Lightning's favorite sticker, was an LED now. It flickered as his phone continued to buzz, connecting him to his favorite blue Porsche.

After ringing several times, Sally finally picked up. She yawned, muffling slightly as he heard her shove her wheel on her mouth.

"I'm sorry Lightning," she muttered after her yawn. "I lost track of time and had to crash up here."

"It's alright Sally. I figured." Lightning replied, a smile creeping up his lips. "I just wanted to call and make sure you were doing okay."

"Thanks Stickers. Tonight is the last night of renovating the floors and the kitchenettes, so I should be back at the cones tomorrow." Sally stifled another yawn. "Thanks for keeping up with the customers down there. Give Mater my thanks too!"

"I sure will Sal. Get some rest!" Lightning replied, blowing her a kiss through the microphone.

"I'll try. Have a nice day Lightning! I miss you!"

"I miss you too babe." All too soon, he hung up and rolled out into the street leading to Flo's. After he finished the training, he would go visit her and help out. He hated her working so hard and alone. Of course she wasn't entirely alone. She had five contractors working with her on the construction, but it wasn't the same as being with your friends. Or your lover for that matter.

It wasn't eight yet, so Flo was still setting up the diner. Lightning noticed Ramone was blue with green flames today, and Flo was getting a kick out of it. He chuckled and pressed his tire on the pump release. A quick gas and go was all he needed. Nothing fancy.

"Cruz Ramirez speaking," his phone interrupted. Cruz was on the line.

"Lightning, you there?" asked the yellow racer over the speaker.

"No, he's not available today, but Chester Whipplefilter is." He always got a kick out of this.

"Haha, very funny Mr. McQueen. Are we meeting at the dirt track this morning?"

"Yes we are. I'll be there in a jiff. Hope you haven't been waiting too long," the corvette replied.

"Nah, I haven't even left the trailer yet!" Cruz had been staying in Mack's trailer for the week, the one that had been renovated for Dinoco. The shiny blue 51 was slanted across the yellow sides, with the long neck of the dinosaur reaching behind it. Mack was a new shade of blue to match the rebrand. He was reluctant at first to try another color after so long, but he had grown to like it.

Cruz would have stayed in the cozy cone, but he figured she enjoyed the massagers a little too much. Plus they had to save room for the customers that came and went in the tourist town.

Lightning heard the click of the pump shutting off. He let his tire off the button and revved his engine up. He loved the adrenaline rush in his body when he knew he was about to race. He careened down the worn out road behind the Cozy Cone down to the track.

The hot morning sun caused ripples of heat on the pavement. Lightning bet it was going to be around 120 by the afternoon. Training in the mornings and evenings was the best time.

Cruz was already waiting at the start rope that was tied to an old, dusty tire from Luigi's shop. He noticed she had brought along a boom box from the trailer and was dancing back and forth to some beat.

"Getting in the groove this morning, aren't we?" Lightning said as he cruised up beside his ex-trainer turned racecar.

"Oh-oh Mr. McQueen! I-I didn't think you'd get here so soon!" Cruz quickly shut off the music with her tire, looking at him sheepishly.

"I'm not sure the sound system from my-I mean our-trailer was meant to sit out in the desert, but as long as it keeps you motivated I guess it's alright."

"Sorry Mr. McQueen! I'll return it right after our training!" the yellow race car traced circles in the dirt with her tire.

Lightning revved up his engine. "Let's do a little speed test to start off the morning, shall we?"

"Aye, aye crew chief! You're gonna bite the dust today old man!"

"Oh we'll see about that rookie girl! On your mark, get set, go!" The two racers sped down the track, a whirlwind of dirt billowing behind them.

Lightning yelled into his phone "Hudson, track our speed!" He had named his phone assistant after the late Doc Hudson. He wasn't really sure why. It made him feel closer to him he supposed.

"One hundred eighty six miles per hour. One hundred ninety two miles per hour," the assistant called out at various intervals.

Suddenly, Cruz veered off to Lightning's right. He skidded to a stop to see what had gone wrong.

Instead he didn't see Cruz at all.

 _Hmm. That's strange,_ Lightning thought.

Then, Ramirez came shooting out from behind a hill, swerving in front of Lightning and rolling over the tattered rope once more.

"Beat ya McQueen! Still the fastest!" Cruz yelled.

Lightning knew what trick she had pulled.

"Been watching some tapes on me and Doc have you? I'm impressed!"

Cruz was glowing. "I watched them all night on the TV in the trailer. Well…maybe not all night. But really late."

"Good start! Now let's take some laps," Lightning said. "We need to work on your drifting skills up on the curve."

"June bug time!"

Lightning laughed.

It was later that afternoon, and Lightning was back in his room, sipping on an energy drink from Flo's. He was playing Tire Crush Saga on his phone which was flipped out to the side, tapping on the matching rows of hubcaps and spinners. He grinned when he passed his high score. Just then, a knock sounded on the garage door.

"Stickers, it's me! Open up!" Lightning instantly recognized his girlfriends voice on the other side.

"Come on in babe," he said as he flipped his phone shut. He had intended to take a drive up to Wheel Well that afternoon, but it looked like Sally had beat him to it and traveled back down to Radiator Springs.

Sally quickly shut the door behind her. "There's been a delay on the last installment, so I decided to come back here for a few hours. And probably take a nap."

Lightning looked at her with loving eyes. "You do that babe. I'll take one with you. It's too hot to do anything right now anyway."

The Porsche snuggled up to Lightning's cheek. He felt the adrenaline rush again. But this time he knew it was love and excitement. He lightly kissed her side, sending the imaginary butterflies in his engine flying around. So many years later and she still made him feel this way. His eyelids drooped as he looked down at her gorgeous body. Sally pulled around in front of him and sunk her lips into his. He moaned at the sudden touch. Sally pulled away, but drove right in for another. After that one Lightning pulled away and reversed into his parking pad.

"I think my engine is going to overheat." Lightning joked.

"Oh Stickers." Sally rolled her eyes sarcastically and smiled.

As Sally closed the blinds for their nap, Lightning realized he had left the TV running. He picked up the remote with his left tire and pointed it at the device. His tire hovered over the power button.

But he never hit the button.

Chick's Picks With Chick Hicks was just starting for the day, but Lightning never cared to watch his old nemesis unless the news was something that truly concerned his well-being. And it rarely ever was. But what came up on the screen definitely concerned his well-being. And not just his well-being. Lightning wasn't prepared for what popped up on the screen behind the mustache clad stock car. No one was prepared for what they saw.

Lightning felt his lunch threatening to come back up.

"Cruz what is THIS?"

 **Oh nooooooo!!! What was on the screen???? I'm so evil for leaving y'all on a cliffhanger, but well, you'll find out in the next chapter. I haven't decided an upload schedule on this one quite yet, as I'll probably end up writing chapter two tomorrow because I'm obsessed right now with my idea, but I'm thinking biweekly on breaks, weekly during school. Leave a comment below in the reviews what you liked the most about this chapter!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter two is here early as I expected! This one will be a little shorter because of how the plot progression fell. Had to end the chapter a certain way! This chapter leans more towards the PG-13 rating as a warning. Enjoy and be sure to follow for update notifications!**

"I hate the media." Lightning said through clenched teeth. Sally was gently rubbing his fender in attempt to calm down the furious race car.

"How could he? How could he stoop so damn low?" Oily sweat was dripping off the sides of his metallic frame.

He knew Chick. He knew how the green ex-racer would do anything – anything – no matter how childish and wrong it was, as long as it benefitted himself. But it rarely ever went further than sarcasm on and off the track, and butting racers out of their lanes. Certainly, he got more than he bargained for when he slammed the King, but his antics had toned down slightly over the years. His egotistic ways still showed, but only when he was getting a kick out of making himself look better than Lightning. He didn't see Chick as a threat, but rather as an annoyance. That is, until today.

He targeted Cruz. And that was not okay in Lightning's eyes.

"Lightning, calm down," Sally cooed. "Don't let him get to your head."

But it was too late. Chick was already in his head, tormenting him, and he couldn't shake the memory out of his brain.

 _"Welcome to today's episode of 'Chick's Picks with Chick Hicks. I'm your former, and forever, Piston Cup Champion. And oohhohohoooo do we have something juicy for you all today!"_

Lightning's face burned with anger.

" _An anonymous user sent my team an email last night and boy did our eyes POP at this leak!" Chick tapped a button, prompting an image to blow up onto the green screen._

Angry tears were welding in the corner of Lightning's eyes as a new surge of emotions overtook him.

 _Chick whistled and starting laughing and stomping his front left tire on the recording stage. Behind him was a blurry, blown up photo of Cruz surrounded by drunk cars. She was obviously at a bar or a club. More likely a club. Her face was caked with a rainbow of makeup colors. But it was what she was_ doing _in the photo that disturbed Lightning the most._

"I don't believe it." Lightning finally said.

 _There's no way that blurry photo is really Cruz. She couldn't have really been a club dancer. She wouldn't have been. She was an aspiring racer. A trainer. She's too naïve anyway._

Lightning shook the thoughts from his head. He didn't want to believe it. He _wouldn't_ believe it.

"I know it's shocking, but I'm sure it was just…photoshopped." Sally tried to ease Lightning's temper. "It happened to me several times in the past…you know when I was… in L.A." She sighed in sadness.

Lightning knew how easy it was to fake things for views, and his mind told him that was exactly what Chick's show had done. Rumors had been circulating on the Mel Dorado Show that Chick's talk show was in danger of being canceled. That had to be it right?

But Lightning knew it was much more than that. Chick hated his guts. He always had. And what better way to anger him than to mess with his racer Cruz Ramirez.

Lightning flipped out his phone, ready to dial Chick's number, but he stalled. Of course Chick expected him to react. His reps had been contacted for comment, but declined according to Certain. He should do the same.

Lightning's whole body ached to talk to someone about the issue. He wanted to complain. He wanted to yell. No, he wanted to sue!

He and Sally sat in dead silence for several minutes. Sally thought Lightning had fallen asleep when the corvette suddenly jerked into gear.

"What is it now, Stickers?"

"I think I'm going to call Tex. He would know what to do," Lightning said with a gloomy look in his eyes. "After all he manages both Dinoco and Rusteze."

Sally rolled over to where Lightning was idling. "That's my Lightning. Now are you sure you don't want to take a nap before you leave? The phone call can always wait."

Lightning shrugged. "I couldn't sleep anyway. My mind is too full."

"Alright, I understand. I'm sure you and Tex can resolve the problem together!" Sally replied.

Lightning barely smiled. _Oh Sally I wish. But the damage has already been done._

 **Poor Lightning. And poor Cruz. What will they do? I don't know either! Hehe just kidding I do. I'm writing the story duh!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you guys so much for the reviews, likes, and follows! I'm glad you guys like it a lot! Here's chapter 3. All characters belong to Disney, and not me.**

Lightning had hoped he could speed through town up to the Wheel Well area before he dialed Tex. But boy, was he ever wrong.

He had barely accelerated to twenty miles an hour when suddenly he was surrounded by a group of sedans carrying professional video equipment and notepads. Cameras were flashing on all sides. Lightning winced, knowing exactly why they were here.

"What are your thoughts on Chick's segment this afternoon?"

"Will this affect Cruz's racing career?"

"McQueen! Over here!"

"What was your reaction?"

"Is it all true?"

"Where's Tex?"

Six microphones were being shoved in McQueen's face. He kept answering "no comment" while he attempted to back away from the crowd.

"Hey! No recording! This is private property! Let's move it!" a voice shouted from behind. Lightning saw the flash of Sheriff's beacon as he maneuvered his way through the crowd, breaking them up in the process. One by one the reporters dispersed, away from the cone from which Lightning emerged.

"You need an escort today, son? Reporters are everywhere." Sheriff offered.

"Tell me about it." Lightning muttered. "I'm just gonna head out to a place where they won't be able to find me. Thanks for the offer though."

"Alright, son. Just be careful."

Lightning drove around to the shortcut behind the Curio Shop. No more Wheel Well today. He had to hide.

As he rounded the old façade-faced wooden building, Lightning was greeted with more reminders of how fast the media could spread. Lizzie's ancient radio was crackling as a podcast rambled on about the latest news in Hollywood. He drove up the store ramp and kicked the power button, shutting off the sickening news. The noise startled Lizzie, who was napping on the porch.

"Hello? Stanley?" But no one was there.

Lightning kicked up dust as he raced down to the garage. The only thing he wanted right now was peace and quiet so he could call Tex. When he arrived at the dilapidated building, he glanced around to make sure he wasn't being followed. Then he bust through the doors and shut them behind him.

Pulling up one of the shades, Lightning allowed a sliver of light to shine through so that he could see. But not too much. He didn't want peering eyes to see in. He searched through his contacts, looking for Tex's name. His tire hovered over his manager's entry, but instead he tapped on Smokey.

The phone rang and rang, but no one answered the line.

"Howdy folks! You've reached Smokey's Parts and…" Click. Lightning hung up the phone.

The race car slumped in his frame, just inches from the concrete floor. He felt like he failed in protecting Cruz. He always butted in whenever Storm tried to insult her, or any other racer for that matter. But this was different. This time he felt powerless.

Lightning drove over to a pack of oil cans, ripping one from its plastic encasing. He glanced at the date. Expired. At that point he honestly didn't care and began gulping down the drink.

As he reversed, his back tire caught on a reel that had fallen on the floor. He flipped it over and read the title, "Lightning and Doc July 2006." Not long after he returned to Radiator Springs for the first time. He figured this was the tape Cruz had been watching the night before. A smile crept up his face for the first time that afternoon.

As dusk began to fall, Lightning lowered the shades and set his phone on ringer in case Smokey returned his call. He chugged down the rest of the can and tossed it into the pile across the room. He closed his eyes, but couldn't sleep thinking about seeing Cruz again at the track the next morning. He hoped she hadn't seen anything. But his guts told him that was highly unlikely.

Back at the Cozy Cone, Sally was locking up the office and preparing to make a run up to Wheel Well to check on the construction. She fumbled with the neon sign, flipping through until she found the "vacancy" option. She heard the familiar creaking of Mater turning into the hotel lot, ready to man the check-in until eleven.

"Thanks for doing this Mater. You didn't have to."

"Ah, no problem Missus Sally. I know my best bud ain't fellin' his best today. I'd do anything ta help 'em out!" Mater smiled, his two buck teeth showing.

"Alright you know what to do. If you need help call Sheriff. And no hacking the vending machine this time." Sally laughed as she drove off into the night. Mater sat there with a perplexed look on his face. That woman knew everything.

Sally was just passing by Sarge's Surplus Hut when she caught a glimpse of yellow in the moonlight. She figured it must be Cruz.

He prediction was correct, as the yellow racer slipped by over to the trailer. She was banging on the hatch, signaling Mack to open up and let her in. The LEDs lit up as the trailer door popped open and Cruz backed in. Sally could make out layers of dust and dirt on her tires and fenders. Cruz must have been at the dirt track all day.

Sally watched Cruz fumbling around for something in the back. When she emerged holding a T.V. remote, Sally knew she needed to intervene. She zoomed over to the back of the trailer.

"Hello, Cruz. Did you have a good practice today?" The Porsche attempted to spark a conversation.

"Oh, hiya Sally. Yeah it was pretty good. I'm still trying to beat my time record though."

"Really? What's your current time?" Sally continued asking questions.

Cruz set down the remote for a second to take a swig of oil. "Three laps in 118 seconds. I was booking 120 today. I guess my axles are just sore."

"I suppose you probably need a good night's sleep." Sally was thinking of a way she could prevent Cruz from flipping on the television. An idea struck her. "How about you come stay at the Cozy Cone for the night?"

Cruz set down her drink. "Oh but Sally I don't want to spend too…"

"It's on the house!" Sally replied in a sing song voice.

"Well, I suppose it would be okay for one night," Cruz gave in.

"Stay as long as you want. Now before you enter, make sure to take advantage of our free car wash station. Gotta be clean! It's our policy!" Cruz laughed.

"Thanks Miss Sally! Will do!" The car shut the trailer door behind her and sped off towards where Mater was standing, still trying to open the office door with the keycard.

As Sally winded her way up the two lane road for the night, she tried dialing Lightning. She was really worried for him and Cruz. She was adamant that they could distract Cruz from knowing for now, but within a day or two she was bound to find out. After two attempts, Sally figured Lightning must have gone to sleep in one of the finished rooms in Wheel Well.


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you all soooooo much for the reviews and follows! I'm floored! We're only at the fourth chapter here and it's a hit! I hope you guys enjoy this next chapter, where I introduce Jackson Storm into the plot. Happy reading!**

Cruz blinked her eyes open as she heard a ruckus outside. It didn't take her long to recognize the quarreling of Sarge and Filmore over the loud, blasting music of Hendricks. During her stay in Radiator Springs for the past week, she had gotten used to the sound every morning. It was one of the many quirks the town had.

Rolling up the garage door, Cruz took off towards her trailer. It was about seven a.m., and she needed to prepare for her last day of training before heading out to Vegas for the next race. This was only the second race of the season, third in her entire career, and she needed to be prepared for anything. Especially Storm.

Storm had gotten on her nerves the previous weekend in Chicago. Or according to him, "touched a nerve." Although he still referred to her as "costume girl" from time to time, he had gained some respect for the racer after she beat him in the Piston Cup. At least that's what the public was made to think. It was a "humbling experience" according to Storm, but Cruz knew it was all a façade. It was a layer of fake personality for the cameras, while the real bull* of his true persona managed to shine through behind the scenes in the pits. Which is exactly what happened at the Chicago International Speedway seven days ago.

 _Flashback_

"Hey Costume Girl!"

Cruz skidded to a stop on her way to the Dinoco garage when she heard the voice. _That_ voice. The one she had to fight from entering into her head and throwing off her momentum.

Cruz didn't even turn around. "What now Stormy-boy?"

The jet black racer snickered behind her. "What is that my nickname now? Stormy-boy?"

Cruz rolled her eyes. "I don't know. Lightning called you that once."

"Oh really? Maybe I can put that on some mud flaps when I start selling them. Fifty years from now." Storm almost snorted.

Cruz turned around to face him. "Just because you're the fastest race car on record doesn't mean your racing career is going to be the longest on record too."

Jackson smirked. "Oh is that a threat I hear? Tell you what Costume Girl. We'll see who's career is gonna last the longest. See you in Vegas." The sarcasm was nearly dripping from his mouth. Storm spun around and made a beeline for the IGNTR tent, where any car could make out the silhouettes of racers popping bottles with their hubcaps.

Cruz sat low on her frame. No matter what she did to come out on top in their petty small talk, Storm always slammed her harder. And she wasn't sure if it hurt worse against the wall or against her emotions.

 _End of flashback_

Mack had already left the trailer open for her, assuming she would visit before taking off. Cruz reversed into the cozy space and shut the door. Pressing a button with her tire, she activated the wax machines. As the robotic arms rubbed her sides into a shine, she reached for the remote she left on the floor. Flipping through the channels, she landed on the racing network channel, where several racers were undergoing the pre-race interviews. Jackson Storm was up, proudly flashing his white teeth to the crowd and flicking his eyebrows. A microphone was balanced over his hood.

Normally Cruz wasn't intrigued by watching Storm on the television, but her gut told her to keep watching. Maybe he would say something she could use against him. Throw him off his line.

Only what he was about to say pitted against Cruz instead.

"What speed have you been maintaining during practice this week?" the reporter was asking Storm.

"About 210. I usually reach 212 on the quarter turns."

"Wow! That's spectacular Storm! Have you heard anything about the rumors surrounding Cruz, and what are your thoughts on this topic?" The sedan zoomed in the camera closer to Storm's face.

 _Huh? What rumor?_ Cruz was beginning to get a sick feeling about this.

"The photos? Dude my crew chief showed them to me last night. Almost didn't believe it at first. Didn't know she was _that_ kind of 'Costume Girl.'"

 _What is he talking about?_ She gazed suspiciously at Storm on the screen.

The sedan continued probing for answers to his questions, "Do you think the photo was real then or simply faked?"

"I don't know Barry," the racer turned to face the camera, as if he were looking directly at Cruz. "But there is always truth behind every lie."

"And that's it folks for Jackson Storm this morning as we head into the…" Cruz hit power on the remote and the screen flashed to dead black.

Cruz sat with an utter look of confusion on her face. _Photos_? _Faked_? _What is going on?_

Someone had begun a rumor mill about her, and she needed to know all of the details. That was one of the things about being a racer. Ever since she filled in for Lightning and landed the Dinoco sponsorship, everyone knew who she was. She was no longer the little yellow trainer that no one had heard of. She was essentially a celebrity now, and with that came a lot of unwanted media coverage that Cruz had grown to dislike. The first time it was spectacular and made her paint glow with pride, but lately reporters just felt like bugs on her windshield. They were everywhere.

Cruz tapped the ChromeWheel app on her phone and typed into the search bar "Cruz Photo Rumors." Instantly hundreds of top news posts from under twelve hours ago popped up in the search results. Her eyes widened as she selected one to read from _Under the Hood_ news.

 _"Cruz Found in A Gentlecars Club?"_

Cruz Ramirez was horrified. How did anyone get their hands on this?

"This was from like ten years ago." Cruz muttered.

She continued reading the article.

" _An anonymous source sent in these photos to Chick's Picks With Chick Hicks, picturing a yellow car who appears to be Cruz Ramirez, in a club surrounded by drunk gentlecars. She appears to be on stage, and next to her is…"_

Cruz slammed her phone shut on the side of her hubcap. She knew exactly who the source was.

"Gallardo."

Lightning was slowly trudging his way to the dirt track, expecting to see a happy, smiling Cruz, oblivious to the world around her. He hoped he could hold out as long as possible without having to discuss the rumors with her. But he knew it would be everywhere when they arrived at the Las Vegas International Speedway. He was caught between telling her now, and dampening her practice performance, or risking it.

When Lightning finally arrived at the butte, there was no one to be found. Only cactuses littering the edges of the track.

 _Hmm, well that's odd,_ Lightning thought. _Usually she's here right now doing her good luck dance._

As if on cue, Lightning's cellphone began to ring. He looked at the caller I.D. and noticed it was Smokey, returning his call from the night before.

"Hello?" Lightning spoke.

"Hey kid, long time no talk. What's happening?" The old pickup truck said through his end of the speaker.

Whenever he talked to Smokey, he felt a step closer to Doc. "I don't know Smokey. There's been a lot on my plate lately, and I just needed someone to talk to."

"I getcha. What's boiling your tanks? Spit it out. We'll work through it together son."

"Thanks Smokey. It's about Cruz, you know, my student I guess you could say." Lightning replied.

"Ah Cruz. Is she alright?"

Lightning sighed. "Well, currently she is. But she's not going to be later. A rumor started about her on Chick's show yesterday."

"Mmm. The rumor mill, huh?" Smokey grunted.

"Yes, and it was terrible! And I don't even think it's true! They just like, made it up or something for views."

There was a long silence. "Did I ever tell you about the time I dated Lily Mae Lugnut?"

"No. No, I don't think you have."

"She was a fine young car back in the day. I dated her for over three years. We were everywhere in the newspapers. The paps would follow us around these parts, trying to catch a glimpse of us. We were the Hollywood favorite for certain!"

"Wow really? I never knew that!" Lightning interrupted.

"It was all fine and dandy until the evening of March 23, 1954. Rivers had dialed me and said that a second cousin of his was in Thomasville for the weekend, and had gotten herself a little tipsy to the point of needing an escort. Since he was recovering from his transmission surgery, he asked if I could bring her over to his brothers place. Well good-souled me couldn't say no to that kind of request, and I headed out to the local bar north of town. When I got there, I realized how bad the situation had gotten. I had to nearly peel cars from around her. Everyone was grinding so hard sparks were flying. Once I got to her, it took me awhile to guide her out the door. But before then, the paps took their opportunity to blackmail me." Smokey coughed a bit, then continued. "All the papers that were in favor of one of the newcomers on the track tried to make me look bad, as well as the whole entire Hudson Hornet team. Claimed using one photo that I was cheating on Lily Mae! Crazy what the paps will do for stories."

Lightning was stunned. "I had no idea Smokey. What did you do?"

"Well luckily Lily Mae thought nothing of it, as she knew what really went on. That just goes to say how important it is to ignore the backlash. Don't feed into it, and it will die down after awhile. Sometimes it'll come back to ya, but as long as you know what the truth is, you can battle it pretty nicely."

Lightning nodded his head, even though Smokey couldn't see him. "Wow Thanks Smokey! That really helps me a lot."

"Anything for Hud's kid. Let me know if you need any more pep talks, I'd be glad to chat," Smokey replied.

"I think I'll go talk to Cruz later after our training and sort this out together."

"You do that kid. But remember, don't let them get to you."

Lightning smiled. That's exactly what he told Cruz before.

After hanging up, Lightning decided he better call Sally. He figured she might have begun to worry about him. He did originally tell her he was going to Wheel Well.

After a few rings, Sally picked up her end of the line. "Oh Stickers! I've been worried sick about you! I didn't know where you had gone!"

"I'm sorry Sally. I ended up staying at Doc's garage last night and forgot to tell you." Lightning could hear the concern in Sally's voice.

"It's okay Lightning. Where are you now?" she asked.

"I'm out at the track. Speaking of which, have you seen Cruz? It's past eight and she hasn't shown up yet. We have five hours until we hit the road for Vegas."

"Yeah, about that Stickers. You might want to head back to town." She paused.

"What? Why? Is she okay?" Lightning inquired.

"I think she knows."

 **Dun dun duuuunnnnnnnn. There you have it folks! Storm is now officially in the story and you got some POV from Cruz, and the phone call with Smokey. Bet you didn't see that one coming! Stay tuned for next week's chapter as we hit Vegas, and a lot of juicy plot twists start developing. Muahaha. Jk I'm not _that_ evil. RR below!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey everyone! Sorry this is a day late! I struggled with this chapter a little bit. I got to the point where I'm satisfied enough with the premise, but I feel it didn't live up to the expectations. I'm researching parts of Vegas I'm not familiar with for the next chapter to make it as a real as possible! I think I will have more fun writing it since the story is going to pick up pace from here. Also, I may have to go to updating every other week after next Friday, because college is back in session. I'm really excited to be taking Creative Writing this semester though! I hope I can improve my writing even more.**

 **Fun fact of the day: On the Mattel diecast for Cruz, her license plate says TexGas instead of Texas. I find this really funny because this wasn't mentioned in the movie. Tex said he gave Sterling a "Texas sized offer." Hmmm...**

 **Enough of my monologuing and on to the chapter!**

The night was dark and chill, as the desert landscape lay motionless behind him. The only sound on the road reverberated from the whirring of his engine and the few cars around him. As he neared the first exit with signs of life, the Lamborghini called out to his phone to open contacts. Selecting one from the list, he turned down the volume so only he and his client could hear.

The screen flashed blue as the phone began to dial. "Hello?" the other car finally called out.

"Hey boss, it's me. I'm about thirty minutes away. We'll meet at your place, then I'll head out. I have them all ready," the sleek sports car said with as low a voice as possible.

"I'll be waiting. Call me when you're outside." The phone clicked as he snapped it back into his side.

Before long, he could see the twinkling of lights in the distance. The "Welcome to Vegas" sign was brightly lit against the dark sky. The sports car veered off onto a highway split to take him towards the south end of the city. The music blasting from a rooftop party on the main strip faded as he drove farther and farther away from the busy hub of night life.

He fired up his bright lights as he descended down the exit ramp onto a divided highway. It was nearing one a.m., and the roads were rather deserted in that area of town. Any car out that late was more than likely up to no good. Such was the case with the mysterious black Lamborghini.

Row by row of crooked, wooden telephone poles whizzed by on either side of the road. He didn't even bother to turn on his direction signals as he cut the corner of an intersection, entering an old neighborhood. He slowed down when his GPS announced his arrival at the destination. "220 Sommerset Road is on the left."

But he kept on rolling forward down the pothole laden road. This wasn't his actual destination. If any car had tried to hack his phone, they would be thrown off track. He glanced in his side view mirrors to be sure no one had followed him on wheels either.

Eventually he stopped at the base of the driveway at duplexes A and B113. He shut off his headlights and engine while he waited for a response to his text. Finally his device buzzed, signaling him that his client was ready.

I've unarmed the garage. Come in.

The Lamborghini drove up the concrete driveway and slipped under the garage door, which had barely opened enough to let him through. Just as quickly, the door reversed and closed with a thud.

"I have my laptop drive plugged in. Drop the files on there." A jet black pickup truck said at the edge of the doorway to the house.

"Cash first." the Lamborghini barked at him, driving into his kitchen.

The truck handed the sports car a bundle of green bills, nearly stacked with white paper bands. The other car carted the money in his trunk, and rammed a USB into the slot on the side of the laptop. Almost immediately he began downloading a zip of around a dozen files. Once it had finished downloading, the truck tapped the screen to open the files for view. With a satisfied smirk on his face, he turned to shake tires with the sports car.

"Pleasure doing business with you Gillardo. Thanks for all the trouble."

Gillardo waved his tire in the air, brushing him off. "Eh, it's nothing. Plus this," motioning to his trunk full of cash, "will take care of my clubbing this weekend."

"Oh, but you'll have an even _better_ treat tomorrow," the truck replied.

Gillardo smirked, and turned to leave the duplex. At the same time, the mysterious truck opened his browser and connected to his email. He proceeded to upload some of the files as attachments and selected a recipient:

From:

To:

 _ **Back in Radiator Springs** _

Lightning's brow was creased with worry as the two cars were speeding down Route 66.

"What makes you think she knows?" asked a very anxious Lightning, who was weaving in and out of his lane next to Sally.

"Sheriff said he thought he heard crying coming from the trailer this morning. Flo has been trying to coax her out for nearly two hours. She hasn't eaten breakfast yet, and she won't tell anyone what's wrong. Although, we both know what it's probably about." Sally explained.

"Are you sure? Maybe Storm said something mean to her." Lightning tried to convince himself Cruz hadn't found out. This wasn't at all how he planned it to go.

"Lightning, Cruz never cries at Storm's insults. She's tough." Sally attempted to talk some sense into her partner.

"True. Do you think she'll talk to me?" Lightning finally asked, as they sped past the "Welcome to Radiator Springs" sign.

"Maybe. You always have the magic touch to things."

Lightning chuckled. "Oh, Sal. I'm not that special."

"Well you are to me." Sally replied, snuggling up to his fender as they rolled to a stop. The stoplight was blinking yellow again. A few feet away, Red was hoisting up Guido with some power tools to fix the line.

"Go talk to her Lightning. I'll be waiting in the Cozy Cone before you head out, alright?" Sally gave him a peck on his fender before speeding away to her office.

Lightning sighed as he made his way to Cruz's trailer. The town was rather quiet in comparison to the night before. Only a few customers dotted the landscape, and the paps were nonexistent. Which Lightning considered a good thing, if they were going to escape quietly without confrontation that afternoon. If they were even going at all.

Lightning tapped on the door to Mack's trailer. While he was waiting, he stared at the decals on the door, sporting 51 and Cruz's face. Not too long ago, that very same trailer held the Rusteze number, flames, and Lightning's signature white smile and look of determination. Time had really flown by.

As the silence continued, Lightning heard the sound of a Diesel engine approaching him from behind. He turned around to face Mack, who looked just as saddened as Lightning.

"Well, do you have any idea when she'll come out? I need to talk to her, and we only have three hours left to make a decision." Lightning asked his hauler.

"I don't know boss, I'm beginning to think she took off earlier. Or she's really good at this ignoring game." Mack answered.

Lightning sighed _. Now Ive got a wild goose chase on my hands._

"I don't have time for this!" Lightning hissed in a panic, and shot off towards Flo's. Mack drove around and hooked up to the trailer again, prepared for departure. Only he was worried that they wouldn't be leaving either.

At Flo's, Lightning gassed up and pondered where Cruz might have gone. If she felt better, which he sincerely doubted, she might have returned to the track to practice. Or to be alone. At the thought of having to drive there all over again, his front axles began to throb.

 _No no no no no. This is not the time to be feeling old. Not today Lightning. Not today._

An eternity later, the red race car found himself trudging back to Willy's Butte to look for Cruz. He felt like he was wandering around in a senseless dream world for the past twenty four hours, and he desperately wanted to wake up. Only he couldn't, because it was all real.

From the top of the hill overlooking the track, Lightning could have a full view of the butte.

There before him was Cruz, her eyeliner smudged across her windshield, trailing in black lines down her sides and past her mirrors. Her eyes were closed, but they opened quickly when she realized she was not alone anymore.

Her eyes darted up at Lightning, then back down at the sand. She was scraping her tire around in the dirt, a nervous tick the yellow car always performed when she was unconfident.

Her mentor rolled up behind her, terrified of what he should say. But Cruz ended up doing most of the talking for him.

"Cruz, are you alright?" He asked.

Her eyes narrowed in disgust as she turned to face her crew chief. "Am I alright? Do I _look_ alright to you, Mr. McQueen?"

"I'm-I'm sorry. If this is about…"

"I was _humiliated_ in front of hundreds of thousands of people. My reputation is _ruined_. No one. I repeat _no one_ , wants to root for the girl racer anymore. The only girl racer on the track. The _slut_." Tears began streaming down her sides again.

"Cruz, don't listen to them. They…"

"How am I supposed to face everyone at the race tomorrow? Storm has been and will continue to make ugly jokes about me. I can't keep everyone out of my head this time. I'm so depressed I can't even _move_ right now, let alone race." Cruz continued her angry, miserable rant. She flipped open her phone and began to read the video comments on Chick's _CarTube_ upload of the segment. "'The next race is in Vegas? How fitting! Full of hoes just like her!'"

Lightning slammed her phone shut, and looked her in the eyes. "Cruz, the more you dwell on this, the more miserable you will become. The best answer is to ignore the comments. Don't feed into the drama. That's what the haters are going to feed off of."

"But the comments aren't going to just go away Mr. McQueen. Ignoring everyone isn't going to change that."

Lightning sighed. "The media is always looking for trouble and gossip Cruz. Everyone will forget about this whole incident as soon as the next gossip channel makes up crap about another celebrity."

Cruz stared at the ground. _But they didn't make it up._

Lightning was continuing his speech, "The media can lie all they want to, but they can't win if they don't destroy your confidence. Go out there and show them the Cruz I know. The one who doesn't let others get into her head. The one who everyone respects."

She looked up at Lightning, who was staring right at her. Her stomach was twisted in all sorts of directions and she wanted to vomit. Her mind was spinning as she thought of what to do. If she pretended none of this happened, then _she_ would be the liar instead. And liars don't have confidence. Or respect.

But she couldn't come clean either. She looked at the sparkling blue eyes of her crew chief, her idol, who was so proud of her and everything she had become. She couldn't let him down. He already thought the news wasn't true. He believed in her so much. But he didn't know the truth.

It was like what Storm had said.

 _There is a truth behind every lie._

Cruz looked up and gave Lightning a weak smile. "I guess I could give tomorrow a try. Although I probably won't win."

Lightning gave her a reassuring pat with his tire, "Remember Cruz, there's more to racing than just winning." He rolled on past, motioning her to follow him.

Deep inside, Cruz knew his words were true. But she couldn't help the desperation building up inside of her. Lightning might not care, but there were a lot of people that would. And she needed to prove them wrong if this was going to work. Her reputation was on the line, and not showing up would only fan the flames of disaster.

She had more than one race to win.

 **Who is this mystery truck who sent Chick the pictures? How long until Lightning finds out the truth? Will Cruz win the race? Who is Gillardo? Well you'll have to stay tuned for chapter 6 next week! Vegas here we come!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey guys I'm back and over my sicknesses. This chapter gets a little dark, but it should lighten up a little bit in a couple of chapters. I had fun writing a chapter that didn't take place in Radiator Springs. I hope everyone enjoys the latest installment of this morbid tale that I invented after watching Cars 3 for the sixth time in one week at 1am.**

Cruz squinted as the glare of the sun shot through the crack of the opening trailer door. Immediately she was blindsided by the crowds of reporters and flashing lights. She slowly rolled forward and was quickly sandwiched between two security guards, who guided her through the maze of fans and news anchor vehicles. The race was starting in under three hours, and Cruz's nerves were through the roof. She breathed a sigh of relief when they rounded the infield diamond and pulled up in front of the Dinoco pit garage. Luigi and Guido were waiting for her inside.

As the two Italian cars set her up with a new set of Lightyears, she scanned her surroundings. Flocks of cars were already making their way into the stadium. The RV lot was packed. The biggest RV was sporting a "Dinoco's Biggest Fan" banner with #51 plastered all over him. She couldn't help but laugh. At least _someone_ was still a fan.

She looked down at the concrete ground and sighed. She hoped the little kids that happily waved their flags at her were pretty sheltered. But who was she kidding? They probably followed every single Cruz Ramirez fan page on Hoodbook. They'd probably seen it all and were confused. Or maybe they were naïve enough to shrug it off as fake. Twelve year olds are defensive about their idols. But she couldn't help feeling awful.

Just then she caught sight of Lightning making his way over to the garage. She pushed all her thoughts to the back of her head. _Just think of fluffy clouds and cute little crabbies._

Lightning was wearing his blue paint still, but as he rolled closer she noticed something odd. Instead of the bright yellow "Fabulous Lightning McQueen" on his side, it read…Dinoco? Cruz immediately rose an eyebrow at him.

"I know, I know you're probably wondering why I have your number on today, but Tex said I should be ready in case you know…"

"That I wouldn't race?" Cruz whispered.

"Yeah…" Lightning replied with a long, drawn-out sigh.

"You don't have to listen to everything Tex says you know."

"What?"

"You know, you're my boss. Don't you have any confidence in me?" Cruz asked.

"Oh, well… bosses have bosses who have bosses above them and so on. It doesn't just stop at me. We break a lot of the norms, but we still have to follow the rules while we're at it. That's just what Tex suggested." Lightning quickly explained.

"Oh. Well do you believe I can race well today?" Cruz asked.

"I know you can do it. But what do _you_ think Cruz? I want to see _you_ have the confidence that _I_ have for _you_."

Cruz began drawing circles with her tires like she did when she was nervous. "I don't know. If-if it just wasn't for Storm I'd…"

Lightning tilted his hood slightly, "Cruz…you haven't been letting him in your head lately. Is something going on?"

Cruz bit her lip. "Well it's just that I think I overdid my teasing in our last argument and may have made a bet on whose career would last the longest depending on if I won or he won today. And if I won then I told him he'd have to pay for my Starbolts coffee for the entire week, but he didn't tell me what to do if he won." She gasped for air at the end of her long, rushed sentence.

Lightning stared at her long and hard for a moment, trying to make sense of what she had just said. Then he swerved around and headed towards Mack, Cruz accelerating quickly to catch up.

"Look Mr. McQueen I'm sorry! I got carried away!"

"Cruz this is why I told you not to speak to him off the track."

"I'm sorry! I truly am! If I had known all this other stuff was going to happen I wouldn't have made the bet!"

Lightning turned to face Cruz. "Well I suppose you have a lot more reasons than one to win this race. And a lot more than I bargained for, honestly. Go get gassed up and meet me at the pits. We've got two hours."

"You're, you're not mad are you?"

Lightning paused to look at Cruz. "I'm not mad, I guess I just feel the responsibility of…oh I don't know, making sure you stay safe and have an amazing experience being a racer. I was the one that gave you the opportunity. I don't want you to end up like I was as a rookie."

"I feel that I already have, but worse." Cruz whispered, then sped away.

"Cruz wait!" Lightning shouted. He stomped his tire on the ground. "You're just… _naïve_."

Cruz was meandering her way around the garage zone, not really looking for the refuel station. She felt bad about worrying her crew chief, but her mind was on other things. What did Storm have planned for her to do if he won? That was most likely the scenario for the day. He said it would be a surprise. But everyone knows surprises from Storm aren't to be looked forward to.

She tire bumped her friend Danny as she passed by his garage. Her smile weakened to a frown as she noticed one of Storm's buddies in the adjacent garage. Bubba Wheelhouse wasn't exactly the nicest of the next gens.

"Hey slut!"

There it was.

"Where's the party at?"

Cruz swung around. "For your information, all the media does is spread lies about people. Figured you would know not to trust it." She bit her lip. She hated lying, but it wasn't _exactly_ a lie.

Bubba backed up in mock fear. "Whoa, whoa, whoa lil stripper, I ain't stupid. But I can't help but poke some fun."

Cruz looked at him in disgust. "You call that _fun_?"

"Sure. What's racing if you don't have a lil fun while you're at it." He winked, but Cruz wasn't amused.

"If this is how Bubba Wheelhouse, Jr. is like, I don't want to know what the senior version is like." Cruz slammed on the gas and drove out of his presence.

"Ouch! You don't even know…" Bubba's shouts were lost in the dust of Cruz's exhaust.

After filling up with gas, Cruz headed back over to Mack's trailer to give herself a little pep talk before the race. That's what she had seen Lightning do for years, even on television. Maybe it would give her some good luck. The problem was, she didn't even know where to start.

"I am a…fluffy cloud?" she said aloud with uncertainty.

Suddenly the trailer door came barging down, and none other than Storm rolled in. Cruz was startled out of her wits. The black racecar tapped the close door button on the floor.

"Storm what the hell? You can't be in here!" Cruz gave him an angry glare.

"Says who?" Storm replied with his deep voice.

"Says the people who make the rules here duh! What if Lightning catches you here? Why _are_ you here?"

Storm flicked on the light. "Oh you won't need to worry about Lightning. He's busy with an interview at tent four. I won't be here long. I promise."

Cruz didn't like the way he said the word promise.

"You remember our bet right?"

"Ye-yeah."

Storm reversed slightly. "Do you want to know what you'll have to do if I win today's race?"

"N-n-no. Because I-I'm gonna win." Cruz said shakily.

"Oh really? I hope you're ready to push all the speed you've got, because tricks aren't going to work every time. You know I book 214 on a good day, and you can only go 208 amateur."

"Well let's hope today is a _bad_ day for your speed Mister." Cruz shot back.

Jackson realizes what she did. "Clever there Costume Girl. You've won today's Comeback contest. I'll give you credit for that. But get ready _princess_ , because that's the only one you're winning today." He grinned.

She hated it when he grinned at her like that.

Storm rolled forward, knocking a couple of oil cans off the shelf. The went rolling down the floor and clunked against the door. She didn't like how close he was to her.

"When I win today, this is what you'll do for me…"

And when he said it, Cruz's eyes widened with fear.

 **Well there you have it folks! The sixth installment of Two Truths and a Lie. I'm honestly scared too for what Jackson Storm has planned. I painted him a tad more evil minded in this tale. Muwahaha. Next up: the race. Will Cruz win? Or will it be Storm?**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello everyone and here is the long awaited chapter you all have been looking forward to! I apologize again for the long wait, but I am happy to say I have lots of plans now for how I want this story to continue. I hope you guys enjoy and it keeps you at the edge of your seat!**

 **Also if any of you guys love games and are playing the new Disney Heroes: Battle Mode game, you can find me on there as Kachowbarator also. I am part of the Marvel Ohana guild, but if we are filled up you can find me around in global chat to add me as a friend!**

 **Now off to write chapter 8.**

 **And remember, not everything is as it seems...**

 _Bang, bang, bang_. Mack was whacking his tire against the side of the trailer, trying to get Cruz's attention. Cruz jolted back into reality. Everything seemed to be spinning, and her head was pounding with the worst imaginable headache. She accelerated forward, ramming into her paraphernalia shelf, toppling over her Derby trophy and a stray lightning McQueen bobble head. She could hear the murmuring of paparazzi and security guards yelling. For some reason it seemed louder than ever before, making her headache only feel worse. Everything felt like a dream.

"Hey kid! The paps are gonna bust down this door if you don't get out now!" Cruz heard Mack yell over the radio.

She shook her hood trying to focus. "Oh-um-yeah! Okay! Ye-yeah I'm coming!" She fumbled around for the switch. When her tire found it, the door lowered and the blinding flash of cameras flooded the entrance to the trailer. Cruz squinted into the daylight, the brightness hurting her eyes. _I shouldn't spend so much time in here I guess._

Cruz managed a small grin as she was overwhelmed by reporters. Finally Lightning and a group of security cars broke through the swarm to escort her to the pits. She heaved a sigh of relief, but still panicked as a wave of dizziness hit her.

 _Okay Cruz let's go through what you ate. Please let it not be food poisoning. Please let it not be food poisoning._

"Hey Cruz, are you alright? You've been sorta weaving the past few minutes." Lightning asked, a little ways behind her. Cruz was sandwiched in between two security vehicles and had bumped into their sides.

"Oh, um I don't know. Nerves, I guess?" she giggled, and tried to correct her path.

Lightning shot her a confused look as she continued to laugh.

The guards pulled away to help another racer when they arrived at the Dinoco sponsored pit. Cruz sat in silence and stared off into the distance while Lightning hooked up his radio and shoved the headphones over his roof. Luigi and Guido quickly changed out Cruz's tires and topped off her gas. The race was due to start in an hour.

Cruz felt like she was floating each time her tire was swapped out. Her mind was straining to remember something important, but she couldn't find the energy to concentrate. Everycar around her seemed to moving slowly about her. She felt Guido remove the gas can from her side.

"Guiiiido, I neeeeed mooore gaaaasssoline." Cruz slurred.

"No capisco!" the forklift popped up from inspecting a tire.

"A-Luigi and Guido do not comprehend what you are a-saying." Luigi apologized.

"Neeeed more gas!"

"Oh! But senorita, we already a-topped off your gas. You are full. Luigi do not a want you to be bloated for the race!"

"Ooookay." Cruz sighed.

Cruz could hear bickering as Luigi and Guido sped off. She closed her eyes, trying to bring back her focus. But when she opened her eyes again, everything felt the same. Some thing deep, down inside her was telling her she couldnt race in this condition. But she couldn't find the will or force within her to follow her intuition.

Lightning swung around in front of her on his way back from a fillup. "You sure you're feeling alright, Cruz? Luigi said you seemed to be really nervous. Your eyes are red too."

"I'm-I'm-im fiiine. Reaallly tired is all." Cruz replied.

Lightning raised an eyebrow. "You seem pale. I'm really thinking I should step in for the first half while you go see a nurse."

"Nooooo. I have too…Storm. Storm."

Panic raced across Cruz's eyes as she began remembering bits and pieces from earlier. The bet. She had a bet. Storm terrified her. Was it real? No it wasn't real. She was asleep. It was nightmare. No, but it was real. The bet was real. Did he really say that?

Cruz's mind was swarming and she began breathing heavily.

Lightning grabbed Cruz's hood with his tire, "Cruz, Cruz look at me! You're having a panic attack. I need you to take deep breaths. Slow your breathing."

Cruz took several deep breaths as Lightning continued talking.

"I know you're strong enough to beat Storm. You don't need to worry about that as long as you're in good shape. Getting yourself sick from thinking about it is going to make you fail."

But everything Lightning said was just sound as Cruz concentrated on breathing. She felt herself being pushed over next to the crew chief section, and Lightning mentioning something about taking a breather.

Lightning watched from afar as Cruz closed her eyes, her frame moving up and down as she breathed. He shook his hood and rolled up to his pedestal as the rest of the Radiator Springs crew was arriving. Tex drove up beside Lightning.

"The race has just been delayed an extra half hour." Tex said, looking up in Lightning's direction.

"Huh, I wonder what for?" Lightning wondered out loud.

"Well the winds have been pretty high lately, and there's a dust storm been reported to the southwest of here. I guess they're gonna wait it out." Tex shrugged his frame.

"Great! I mean, not great, but that gives Cruz more time for... I'll be right back Tex!" Lightning reverses out and sped over to Cruz. He didn't want to worry Tex.

Cruz's eyelids were heavy and she was drooling all over the concrete when Lightning drove up in front of her.

"Cruz! Cruz, hey Cruz! Wake up! Hello?" Lightning shook her.

"Hmmm…noooooo. Mmmm. The tractor..." Cruz mumbled.

"Cruz wake up! The race was delayed. We have time to let you see the nurse."

Cruz mumbled something and opened her eyes slightly then leaned on her side again. Lightning stared at her quizzically. Keeping his eyes on Cruz, he turned himself to face the crew pit. "Hey, uh…Mater you still over there?"

"I suuuure am! Whatcha need buddy?" Mater drove over to where his friend was parked.

"She doesn't look good at all. She isn't responding well enough to drive. I think you'll have to tow her."

"Where to?" Mater asked.

Lightning pointed his tire to his left. "The on-site hospital. See that white tent over there with the red symbol on it?"

"Yes sir I got it!" Mater swung his tow cable under Cruz and slowly drove forward and around the corner.

"Give me a ring once she's out!" Lightning called after Mater.

"Will do Captain!"

Lightning shook his head. Crazy Mater. What would he do without him.

"Hey Stickers, is everything alright?" Lightning felt cool metal against his side as the blue Porsche rubbed against him. He sighed.

"Well, I hope anyway. Cruz looks to be coming down with the flu or something. She's been acting kind of strange ever since she came back from the press. She was conked out and breathing heavy just now. Mater took her to the doctor's tent." Lightning sighed again. "I better prepare myself to race if she's ill."

"I'm sorry Lightning. I hope she gets to feeling better." She planted a kiss on his right cheek. "Why don't I run and get us some iced frappes? I'm sweating!" Lightning could feel the slight vibration of her AC motor.

"Sounds great, Sal. Get me two shots of oil with that."

"Sure thing Stickers!" Lightning watched her zoom away until he couldn't see her anymore. He sighed in pleasure. Suddenly his happy thoughts were interrupted by a deep voice and the vroom of an electric motor.

"Awww how sweet," the voice said mockingly. "Where's costume girl at? Shouldn't she be getting ready?"

Lightning could feel the frustration boiling in his tank. He hated run ins with Jackson Storm. He could understand why this idiot kept tearing his rookie down. Sometimes he forgot that he himself raced against Storm and his extreme ego just a year ago.

"She'll be out soon Storm." He didn't want to tell him where Cruz was really at. It was none of his business anyway, and he didn't want to fuel the fire.

"Girls. They always take forever to get ready. Nothing changes on the track either I suppose. I'll bet you even your little girlfriend will run into somebody she hasn't seen in 20 years and chat for two hours. Hope you aren't too thirsty." Storm chuckled.

Lightning rolled his eyes. "Look Storm. There's nothing to see here. And whatever is going on between you and Cruz today with this race, I'm warning you, don't do anything reckless. You don't want to know my consequences."

"Oooooh, do I hear a threat? Is _the_ Lightning McQueen threatening me? I'm so scared!" Storm said in a sarcastic tone.

Lightning simply glared at the haughty race car.

"Look man, it's just a game. What you think I'm gonna, I don't know, set her on fire on the track or some shit?" He gave Lightning a puzzled look.

"I'm just going by what I've seen you do in the past."

Storm snorted. "Eh, whatever. I won't do anything stupid. If she somehow miraculously wins, I'm supposed to like pay for her dinner. Ha! But I know I'll win."

Storm began to drive off toward his pit, but he braked when he heard Lightning speak again.

"So, uh, Storm. What's the plan if you win?" He didn't know much about the bet, but he couldn't help but worry about the hostile relationship between the two competitors.

Storm shrugged his frame. "I've got ideas. It'll just depend on my mood." He thought for a second. "I'll think of something good after the race. Maybe drag her to an LV club." He chuckled.

"Oh you are so not doing that. Not on my watch jerk." Lightning said in a warning tone.

"Easy Lightning. You act like she's your kid or something."

"I just don't want her to do anything that might get her hurt or upset. I am her crew chief after all. Don't you dare doing anything dangerous or inappropriate." He argued.

Storm looked taken aback. "Dude what is your problem? You're acting like I'm some sort of freak." He revved his engine. "Didn't you and that other Dinoco guy pull pranks and bets all the time? It hasn't even been a year since you've quit racing and you've already forgotten what's it's like to be one? Lighten up Mr. Kachow. Geez."

"Oh I'm sorry, but the last time I checked, you and Cal have _very_ opposite personalities and I don't trust you." Cars could hear the shouting match between the two racers from the Dinoco pits.

"Chrysler McQueen. Just because your student is a slut doesn't mean I'm a pervert." And with that he spun around, and zoomed off, his tires screeching extra loudly on the pavement.

"He did _not_ just bring that up." Lightning muttered. He knew what a sensitive topic that was to Cruz. Her mental health was suffering because of it and he didn't want Storm to fan the flames of disaster. If he hadn't already.

Lightning tossed his headset in the corner as he made his way to detailing. _What a complete jerk,_ he thought.

He entered the yellow, glassed in area and hit the enter key in the keyboard for the computer. He swiped his tire across the screen until he came to the Dinoco sleeve.

 _He was right about one thing though. I am getting mighty thirsty._

"Oh Sally, Sally, Sally." He said aloud.

As if to answer his thoughts, he heard the voice of the blue Porsche muffled through the glass. She was banging on the side with her tire. Lightning turned to see her trying to get his attention, all with a worried look on her face. He flipped open the door.

"What's the matter Sal? Are the drinks ready?"

Sal rolled her eyes. "Guys. Always worried about food." She muttered under her breath. Lightning raised an eyebrow.

"Um, excuse me?"

"Never mind. Lightning, I saw Mater on the way over to order. He looked really worried, and he told me the doctors are running a bunch of tests. Something is not normal and it's definitely not the flu either."

Instantly Lightning's brow creased with worry. "I need to come over there right now!" He sped past Sally and out onto the pits lane.

"Lightning wait!" she accelerated quickly, sending pebbles flying as she fought to keep up.

"Lightning stop! They aren't letting anyone back there right now!" It was no use. Lightning was already halfway through the entrance.

Sally was taking short, deep breaths when she caught up to the race car. After entering the sliding doors she rolled up beside Lightning who was having a heated argument with the receptionist.

"What do you mean they don't know?" He shouted in the poor lady's face.

"Sir, it doesn't mean the doctors don't have a diagnosis. I don't have that information in the system yet and even then it may not be information I can release to just anyone."

"But I'm her crew chief!" Lightning was frustrated. Sally whispered something in his ear and he finally backed down.

"I'm sorry about that ma'am. What time should we come back to hear about Cruz?"

The receptionists set a stack of papers in a folder and slid it in the filing cabinet under the desk. "Probably not much longer, maybe try back in about…"

Suddenly a nurse came swinging through the double doors, a doctor following close behind her bumper. "Is Mr. McQueen here?" the doctor asked out loud, looking at the clipboard on his side.

"That's me! Is everything alright? Is Cruz okay? What kind of medicine does she need? Do I need to take her place today? Will she be okay for next week? Is she mentally stable?" Lightning spit out question and question, earning a glare from the nurse.

Sally set her tire against his side, silencing her worried boyfriend. "Lightning calm down. Let him speak."

"We don't mean to worry you Mr. McQueen, but Cruz won't be able to race today. Cruz should recover fine in a couple of days, but what we found is a bit troubling. Please follow me back here. I have a few questions to ask to help me treat her condition." The doctor preceded to enter a partitioned off room in the corner that Lightning assumed must be an office. One in which the doctor could speak to cars about patients and discuss important matters and troubling situations. Lightning felt a bit apprehensive as he drove into the room.

The doctor shuffled around some papers, then pulled out his tablet and began to jot down some information.

"Mr. McQueen, after performing thorough tests, we've discovered something that will unfortunately require the involvement of the Las Vegas Speedway authorities for investigation."

Lightning's eyes shot up and his guts lurched forward. _The authorities? What the hell is going on?_

"What do you mean, sir?" Lightning gulped.

The doctor adjusted the glasses spanning his windshield.

"The symptoms Cruz has been experiencing are a direct result of the drugs we found present in her oil system test."

Lightning's jaw hung open.

"Because the use of drugs is strictly forbidden on the track, I will need to call in an investigation as soon as Cruz comes to. There will be some questioning, and I may need to call you back in."

Lightning's head was spinning. _Drugs? What? How? Why? Cruz wouldn't do something like that. She wouldnt have even thought about jeopardizing her chances of winning today. That's all she was talking about this week. I mean, yes Lightning she has been depressed...but no! No!_

The doctor was still speaking as Lightning pondered what could have caused everything that was happening.

"...which doesn't necessarily mean Ramirez strictly partook in drugs herself."

Those words went straight to Lightning's head, bringing him sharply back into the conversation. "You mean, like, another car drugged her without her knowing?" He asked.

"Precisely."

And the first thing that came to Lightning's mind was a certain egotistical, black electric race car by the name of Jackson Storm.

 **On a serious note and in light of Demi's recent hospitalization due to a drug overdose while I was writing this chapter, if you or a loved one are struggling with susbstance abuse, self harm, addiction, etc. never be afraid to seek help! Even if it seems you are strong enough to fight it alone, sometimes your devils can get the best of you and take over. I tried fighting my anxiety and dermantillomania alone and I couldn't do it. But after seeking help from someone else to have an accountability partner and psychological help I am doing much better. I wouldn't be where I am today all by myself.**


End file.
